This invention relates to a new and improved method which is utilized to form airfoils or other articles.
Machines have been utilized to form airfoils by the electrolytic removal of material from a workpiece. One of these machines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,892. The machine disclosed in this patent utilizes a pair of cathode electrodes to form turbine blades or airfoils one at a time in an elongated workpiece. The workpiece is then severed into a plurality of segments and bases are formed in association with the airfoils in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,314,137.
Another apparatus for forming airfoils or other articles is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 681,779, filed Apr. 30, 1976 by Gustav E. Schrader and entitled "Apparatus for Electrochemically Forming a Plurality of Articles". The machine disclosed in the Schrader application utilizes a plurality of pairs of electrodes to effect the electrolytic removal of material from opposite sides of a workpiece at a plurality of spaced apart locations to form side surfaces of a first series of airfoils along one edge portion of the workpiece and side surfaces of a second series of airfoils along the opposite edge portion of the workpiece.
Machines for sequentially operating on a plurality of workpieces to form airfoils by electrolytically removing material have been devised. Machines in which material is removed from a workpiece at each of a series of work stations in turn by electrochemical operations to form airfoils are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,459,645 and 3,466,235. Other known prior art devices which utilize a plurality of electrodes to electrolytically remove material from a workpiece are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,594,298; 3,547,797; 3,436,311 and 3,287,245.
In prior art machines which are utilized to form airfoils, electrolyte has been directed between the leading and trailing edge portions of the airfoil and electrode in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,099. In addition, it has been suggested that an electrode could be moved axially along an airfoil and the flow of electrolyte conducted along the surface of the airfoil to form the leading and trailing edge portions of the airfoil in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,099.